Drinkable Water

Welcome to Drinkable Water

This webpage aims to highlight the concealed truths. The laziness. The huge ego driven silence resulting in no-reply communication. The needlessly shortened lifespans. The apathy. The needless illness. The Legislative inaction.

Providing safe water is actually quite a simple act. Unfortunately the extreme retard (as in – delay or hold back in terms of progress or development) execution of the whole fiasco results in a stunning display of the Dunning Kruger Effect. Be sure to click here.

Imagine a newly assembled orchestra – playing without a conductor or music scores. Now move that image across to NZ Drinking Water. uncoordinated! At ALL levels.

Possibly a Ministry of Health Drinking Water ‘facilitator’ planning even more facilitation. Or maybe a Regional Council Resource Consent Officer.

Wherever you see a link to the Mainstream Media I will always seek to provide a companion link that shows The-Science backup. My opinion is best displayed by maintaining this page. I care about drinking water safety. Read my blog.

My own specific opinion will rarely be mentioned apart from my proof-of-point photos. Welcome to this page of blue links to others opinions and the companion Science.

One picture says a thousand words. New Zealand’s degraded waterways are also our Drinking Water catchments. These two issues are intertwined. Interlocked. New Zealand has the highest rate of gastro illnessfrom the consumption of dangerous infected drinking water – in the OECD. That is a scientific medical fact.

To make matters worse the Regional Councils use the wrong (click here) software to monitor water quality.

The Anakiwa experience.

Also known as – how to waste years of your life – with little community appreciation. My Drinking Water apprenticeship.

In 2010 I became the chairman of the Anakiwa Bay Water Supply Association (ABWSA). Drinking Water Legislation indicated that we were years behind adopting the 2005 Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand (DWSNZ). Two of the committee preferred the taste of infected water. Two committee members were neutral. Myself and one other committee member set about making improvements. We had entirely differing resolution paths. Made more difficult by total disfunction within the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board Public Health Service (PHS).

The intervention of PHS facilitation did nothing but inflame relationships between Anakiwa neighbours. None of that PHS ‘facilitation’ concerned the supply of safer drinking water to members. In fact – the reverse. Imagine being challenged “Why are you chlorinating the water?” These words from their drinking water facilitator – who had recently enforced a ‘Boil Water’ notice.

The ABWSA was a shambles. The Association was not Incorporated as a Society with the Companies Office – thus exposing operative members to huge personal liability. The retiring President’s Report suggested that “Sickly bach owners just needed to toughen up”. The ‘plant’ was ‘as-installed’ 35 years earlier – lacking (settling) storage capacity. An access easement, attached to each members land title existed for the reticulation. At huge financial cost – with hundreds of hours of negotiation expended – we negotiated three more easements thus guaranteeing access maintenance. These easements are tied to the Incorporated Society.

I served three years as chairman and in 2014 stayed on the committee for continuity. There was no continuity because of only one ineffective committee meeting being held. I departed the ABWSS committee mid-term, with multiple ‘Barriers’ set up to prevent the bulk of the pine-forest-logged sediment arriving in the reticulation.

Now lets be fair. The only error made by those 2010 – 2013 committee members resisting change – was poor appreciation of the huge degradation in New Zealand rivers and streams in the past 50 years. And mostly in our own logging catchment in the prior 5 years.

Fortunately, away from ABWSS, Anakiwa offers other pleasures

Rivers and streams that used to be drinkable – are not even swimmable now. Thanks to Nick and his (“lets turn the NZ plains into one-huge-dairy-farm – with the NZ hillsides turned into pine-forest-scarred-logging-platforms”) National Party Caucus mates.

Here are some links to four important 2017 reports on the degradation of NZ rivers and streams. THE SCIENCE.

The ABWSS catchment that had been logged 5 years earlier. Note the new plantings. Because the Neighbourhood Registered ABWSS scheme serves less than 5000 – the NES for Drinking Water does not apply. Absolutely stupid – based on the good-old-days when it was safe to drink water our of rural creeks, Read the reports above again!

Example of logging in adjacent valley. There is also an NES for logging!

NES – what’s this? The Ministry for the Environment has National Environment Standards for many activities. The NES purpose is to apply nation-wide standards to Regional Council decision making. I am most acquainted with the National Environment Standard for Drinking Water.

In order to comply with the conditions for a new abstraction Marlborough District Council Resource Consent, the renamed Anakiwa Bay Water Supply Society Incorporated (ABWSS), was required to fit a new water meter. This meter was connected to a USB Stick data logger. Due to the huge debris loadings, the meter stopped spinning. Jammed gearbox – no extraction readings have ever been lodged.

Dismantled. Surely the reader can see why. This meter is now of scrap metal value. The fine sediment that it should have never been in contact with – has seized the gearbox. No readings to Council. No synchronised chlorine dose.

This new meter had to be mounted below the dam and above any water-powered sediment removal devises. As set out by MDC officer Glenn ????, (Nick-named ‘Dirty-Dog’

because his wrap-around sun glasses concealed his face). Right in the flow of the ‘potable’ dam-water example shown below. (Sarcasm intended)

NOTE : PHOTO OF LATER INSTALLATION – SAME PIPE. All known water meters are designed to ONLY operate in clean potable water – not this slurry.

Which resulted in this

Meter primary ‘foreign-body’ (dropped nut – or maybe a pebble) strainer. Not designed for this. Image taken after large volume of rotting pine bark tapped out – to show clogged holes. This water meter primary strainer was at times – cleaned once per day.

Which resulted in this

Meter secondary strainer – only serviceable after the copper wire seal was illegally cut. Despite huge internet searching I have yet to locate a water meter designed to operate as prescribed (turbid water) by the Marlborough District Council Officer Glen ????.

ABWSS Inc members became ill. Some were very ill. Extremely ill? The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board Public Health Service ‘Facilitator’ did NOTHING.

Wow! An extreme case of the Dunning Kruger Effect. Read the profile and then flip it. I have documented evidence of the worst communication skills – ever experienced – anywhere – ever.

As in Havelock North many years later – those charged with the provision of safe drinking water – as prescribed within the DWSNZ Act – were in real terms – killers. (come on – I challenge you to refute me)

Could things get worse? Certainly!

The Sag and Bleed device that I constructed – having discovered an old timers trick is shown here

Sag and Bleed device that removed huge quantities of sediment before arriving at the tanks

Which resulted in this

Water sample from a one second jar-fill from Sag and Bleed off-take – back to the stream

Surely things could not get any worse?

At the dam an ‘upgrade’ 2mm woven-wire mesh strainer became a leaf ‘dice-cutter’. Check out the little 2mm square particles floating in the tank. Organic sediment equals a bacterial explosion. High bacteria count equals illness.

And meanwhile the very effective Sag and Bleed devise was in a new place. Hey – best place. “It wasted so much water!” (Glen (Dirty- Dog) MDC Officer)

Sag and Bleed devise scrapped. Hmmmm

Surely that must be the end of the retard (as in – delay or hold back in terms of progress or development) action!

No. No. No! The three new tanks, fitted with TankVac sediment removal devises and WaterBouys were ‘mothballed’. The (file) image below displays-for-all-to-see – how these “useless” devises waste water – and do not remove tank sediment. (Detect sarcasm? And why not Glen!)

To sum up the 2014 ABWSS Inc situation

The residents were being supplied ‘Raw’ water – flow-of-the-stream straight through the seriously degraded catchment – passing directly through the old original concrete tanks. With the added ‘2mm-diced-leaf-soup-infective-brew.

All of the above ‘drinking-water’ was then passed through the lower meter strainer that had degraded into an ‘Infection-factory’.

Repeat. ALL of this ‘Raw’ water was ‘strained’ through the infective-matrix (refer photos) within the water meter strainers.

The post-forest-logging had seriously degraded the catchment. (Click herefor the science)

The sediment loadings in the stream were unprecedented in 40 years.

The biofilm (bacteria city) layer within the reticulation became very very thick. All pathogens ‘Welcome’ – within the very obvious slime layer.

Some members were ill. Very ill.

The result of a weak committee that failed to ever question the operation of the plant – or vote on the moronic modifications undertaken to that plant. (Source – the ABWSS Inc meeting Minutes)

A weak committee that failed to respond (answer) residents correspondence-of-concern. Thus contravening an ABWSS Inc rule. Thus breaking the law as prescribed by the Drinking Water Standards for NZ 2008 (DWSNZ).

Meanwhile the committee were no doubt swapping scone recipes – and tasting each others cheese making efforts!

Oh well – at least I tried! A truly thankless time-wasteful activity.

Below you can read my email – an email sent after two extreme health issues within my own family – after two unplanned Anakiwa visits spaced six months apart. To this day this reasonable (considering the dangerous water quality) email remains unanswered.

Grand daughter Maia – first day skiing at age two. Third time lucky! No No! By being a “Bully” – I created our own family luck good fortune.

Hi

For the past four months I have mainly been domiciled in Methven or Nelson. As a ABWSS member I am disturbed about current aspects of our Anakiwa water supply.

It has come to my attention that upon my return to Anakiwa today – the heavy mineral sediment has free flow into the original concrete tanks. I also understand that the supply to the residents is from these same original concrete tanks. YUK!

Please explain to me the reason that I wasted 3 years of my life leading a committee that worked to huge excess – identifying the three main sediment types – and eliminating two types.

Sag and Bleed devise to eliminate the heavy mineral sediment sludge. Yuk! This will be seen in huge volumes when you next clean the tanks. Tank Vacs to remove the organic litter and bird / mammal shit. The only current escape for this item at the moment is our taps. YUK.The third light/fine mineral sediment is now removed by the weekly line flush. Well done on that.

I would also ask you to explain – who authorised the destruction of the Sag and Bleed devise – an item that I wasted two full days of my life manufacturing and fitting? This can only indicate a general lack of respect for the plant and those volunteers who created it.

Who has authorised the mothballing of the sophisticated plastic tanks with their TankVacs, Waterbouys and Calming devises? And WHY? Why did we bother?

Please note. During the three years of the committee I lead – we NEVER destroyed a single item made by those who came before us. We ALWAYS showed respect for their efforts.

About 15 years ago an elderly (my current age) guest suffered life threatening viral illness just two days after visiting Anakiwa. That was why I volunteered my three years. This weekend a pregnant house guest was expecting to visit. Lynda said don’t come. We will instead get together in Nelson.

Please explain why your ABWSS infrastructure management has turned back the clock a full 5 years – to almost exactly the same as 40 years ago? Only worse. Len Baxter installed his own Sag and Bleed devise into the concrete tanks – which I copied. You have allowed the destruction of the one that I built. The Anakiwa water supply is currently the worst ever.

Your only saving grace has been the dry winter.

What?

Yours in total disgust

Grahame Sisson

MoH Guidelines to the Drinking Water Standards NZ 2008 – page 47 “System operators must maintain a personal sense of responsibility and dedication to providing consumers with safe water, and should never ignore a consumer complaint about water quality.”

Absolutely no committee reply was ever received. So I barraged them with DWSNZ 2008 stuff. Six ABWSS Inc committee members resigned and walked out. I became the new secretary. Some of the letters-of-resignation were absolutely hilarious. This from a committee that twice-in-one-meeting (recorded in meeting minutes) considered ways to conceal a failed Water Sample Test from the NMDHB Public Health Service.

Meanwhile a certain smug ABWSS Inc committee member – not interested in safer drinking water – broadcast the notion that I was likely to “Shoot up” the bay with my slug gun – my response can be seen above. I surrendered my slug gun to Methven Police! Who – I ask – were the actual killers?

Subsequent to the mass-committee-resignation I became the ABWSS Inc secretary. Reading the prior 9 months committee meeting minutes revealed that zero committee discussion had ever taken place with regard to the scheme operations. All operational matters were the domain of only one person. Attempts by more learned committee members to question the safer-drinking-water operations in committee – were talked down. Why?

I resigned as secretary of the ABWSS Inc after the same person who broadcast the notion that I was going to “shoot up” the bay with my slug gun (retard – as in – delay or hold back in terms of progress or development – maybe) accused the committee of “dishonest communication” – via Sonya Briggs, manager of the Public Health Service, NMDHB. My immediate resignation was sent to all ABWSS Inc members, Sonya and the Minister of Health. The apologies rolled in from the Ministry and Sonya – written and verbal.

Hi Grahame

I am so sorry you have read my email as me defaming you and the current committee. Please be reassured that this was not my intention at all. I was not accepting that their concerns were valid but merely relaying and acknowledging I had received the comments which had been made by certain members of the community. I apologise that you have taken this as though I was agreeing with what they have said.

Readers may ask about our own in-house UV disinfection? Over the winter the huge sediment load had ruptured our one micron filter cartridge – and the UV body was packed solid with mud. Totally inoperative.

The mud removal brush fashioned from Gutterguard brush

Move forward to 2018 and ABWSS water is much cleaner and safer. The chlorine pump is un-syncronised due to the clogged meter gearbox (sediment intrusion) – and is incapable of maintaining stable FAC. Community disinfection is still a work-in-progress. Thanks to the dedication of one man’s great gains have been made. My neighbour. He is currently selling up and leaving Anakiwa. I wonder why?

The reversal of the MDC destruction of the ABWSS Inc water quality due to absolutely stupid (retard – as in – delay or hold back in terms of progress or development) water meter placement occurred after (as secretary) I asked the NMDHB PHS for assistance. The Public Health Service employed a consultant who simply visited Council and stated that the meter arrangement was “Effecting the Societies ability to control water quality”. So easy.

I repeat – so much effort for so little gain. Just too hard! I repeat: –

This webpage aims to highlight the concealed truths. The laziness. The huge ego driven silence resulting in no-reply communication. The needlessly shortened lifespans. The apathy. The needless illness. The Legislative inaction.

Imagine a newly assembled orchestra – playing without a conductor or music scores. Now move that image across to NZ Drinking Water. uncoordinated! At ALL levels.

Possibly a Ministry of Health Drinking Water ‘facilitator’, or a Council Resource Consent Officer, planning even more facilitation or safe water scheme destruction. (Dirty Dog glasses removed using PhotoShop)

Community effort too demanding – Time to focus on own-family-home disinfection

Our Anakiwa home has been fitted with UV water treatment since 2008. In 2014 the huge sediment load ruptured the one-micron filter and rendered the UV useless. UV disinfection offers zero residual protection as the water travels beyond the light chamber. Our house pipes were subsequently full of biofilm. Re-infection following UV disinfection.

We had several unplanned short winter visits due to a Nelson family bereavement, a Nelson family hospital admittance and the subsequent disposal of a Richmond family home. Checking our UV sterilisation was not a first priority. Huge and costly illness was endured by our family member Anakiwa visitors.

Since early 2016 our home water treatment includes

Alphasan CIO2 chlorine dioxide water disinfectant/deodoriser – yet to be recognised by Ministry Of (lottery) Health Illness as real.

Furthermore these Ministry of Health Illness ‘experts’ cling to the historic 20th century mantra that CIO2 dose pump concentration cannot be monitored or controlled. And they question – “What about the chlorite?”

The Alphasan manufacturers have laboratory test documents – one on the raw Alphasan – and one on my own household treated water. Zero chlorite in both tests.

The Ministry of Health Illness PHS staff had never heard of Oxygenation Reduction Potential

In addition, I own another modern backup means for monitoring my Alphasan concentration.

CIO2 (chlorine dioxide) is mentioned alongside other commonly used water disinfectants – all the way though the DWSNZ 2008.

The DWSNZ requires a re-write. ‘The concentrations of chlorine dioxide and FAC may be summed’. There is zero chlorine in chlorine dioxide. This ‘sum’ can only be possible using TOTAL Oxygenation Reduction Potential (ORP).

Why is this 21st century disinfection advance ignored? Scroll down to the next photo – taken of a Ministry of Health Illness official heading away for a hard day at the office.

“Your river is my Drinking Water Catchment”

The Utopian Disinfection Future

By 1950 the supply of safe water in the cities had been mastered. Rural folk could safely drink handy streams – because there had been limited rural pollution.

Drinking water safety became “boring” and those in charge ‘went-to-sleep-at-the-wheel’.

Modern technical advances (chlorine dioxide disinfection) have been ‘binned’ “Why would we need that?”. To best understand 21st Century drinking water disinfection advances – travel to Bangladesh where the World Health Organisation have been very proactive.

Actually as New Zealand entered the 21st Century, there was a flurry of “Improve Drinking Water” activity. The Ministry for the Environment, ESR, and Ministry of Health all produced absolutely wonderful publications. Available for all to read – on the Internet. The ABWSS committee gained their knowledge here. Meanwhile the PHS guy shown above – travelling to work to finalise the ABWSS Water-Safety-Plan – one day – missed the point of his employment. Saving lives.

The final report of the Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry highlights the need for an updated NES that includes Neighbourhood schemes. As well as truckloads of “wake-up” pills.

Below you can read my suggestion for nationwide utopia.

Every Registered NZ Drinking Water supply from Neighbourhood-to-larger should be disinfected.

A pre-oxidisation disinfection should be chlorine dioxide based – which – provided the concentration / time (Ct value) factor is understood – will disinfect a wide range of nasties – plus take out manganese, tannins and protozoa.

ORP sensors reporting the FAC every six hours to a central nation-wide server database.

Whenever the ORP FAC reading is less than the server expects – a text is sent to the operator of the treatment process. “Wake UP!!”

No threats. Just proactive assistance. Automatically. Safe water everywhere.

Months after the HNDW Inquiry

I would have expected the new Government to have appointed a Minister for Drinking Water. We do however seem to have a Minister for Horse Racing. WOW!

Instead the old tired 1950’s Drinking Water brigade are still doing what they do best. Some are self trained in their job – and wondering what to do next. Mostly they appear to consume truckloads of sleeping pills.

Methven ‘Boil-Water’ notices

A.K.A. – How to breach the DWSNZ. Hmmmmm.

Firstly the Ashburton District Council (ADC) “Boil Water” notices are advertised on Facebook. How would I know? Facebook is a no-go in my life. Always has been. The current ‘data-leaking’ was easy to imagine. The “Delete Facebook” craze is underway. ADC need to find a better communication platform. How about Mobile Text?

Methven residents would be amazed to learn – our Anakiwa water is of much better quality than the Methven town supply delivers. My body tells me so!

Allow me to digress

A Ministry of Health consultant once told me “The two great 20th century advances in human lifespan were antibiotics and chlorine“. Unarguable.

The same consultant refused to consider chlorine dioxide (which contains zero chlorine – its a gas) as the 21st century improved water disinfectant on the basis “there is no dose level testing control”. Those who make water disinfection decisions are still in the 20th century!

I own two dose test methods of which the Oxygenation Reduction Potential (ORP) is the most accurate.

The portable accurate version of the Oxygenation Reduction Potential (ORP) sensors used in fixed-to-computer city supplies

The DWSNZ is highly confused in this area. The DWSNZ refers to 19th century DPD testing – when it states that chlorine and chlorine dioxide dose may be “summed”. Impossible using DPD. But ORP readings may be summed with ease. As I do.

A quotation from a yet-to-be-discovered industry leader.

“ PPM being the amount of soldiers on the battle field and ORP being the morale or willingness of the soldiers to fight.”“You may have lots of soldiers on the battle field but if they have a low morale to fight you won’t win any battles.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been pushing chlorine dioxide disinfection in Bangladesh. I followed the WHO path in my own private Anakiwa Alphasan disinfection.

Back on-subject

I believe that Iain Rabbitts was totally correct to voice (click here) his personal opinion about the yet-to-be-announced-Drinking Water Regulatory-Body – and what it may decide. Why do I believe this to be the case? Iain was quoting existing New Zealand law. The Drinking Water Standards of NZ 2008 (DWSNZ), which became fully operative in July 2015.

Too many Councils and other drinking water suppliers are in breach of the DWSNZ 2008 law – by failing to comply with its standards. Criminals.

Iain is a very experienced Drinking Water engineer – and having been an expert witness at the Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry – he must surely be aware of government thinking.

Those ‘trolls’ who spout off ‘Comments’ under the Stuff article have clearly never read: – (click any link)

From Aljazeera – one of the very best Main Stream Media Opinion Pieces. (click here). “I was astonished to see how much the country had changed in those 15 years. It has become wealthier on the back of an urban property boom, mass immigration and the explosive growth of intensive dairy farming which began back in the 1990s.” Very hard hitting.

Documents 1 to 3 are Government legal documents. Document #4 is the HNDWI report that confirms that no-one could really get excited about applying the excellent documents 1 to 3.

Documents 5 to 8 all confirm the scientific reason Sam Mahon was motivated to create his Nick Smith statue. Our waterways are sick.

I was raised on an orchard in Papanui. I am fortunate to have 75 years observation of the Christchurch water table – that used to provide pure bubbling artesian water from wells in Vagues Road. Spending every weekend at Arthurs Pass taught me much about surface water on the Canterbury plains. The old ‘Patchwork’ Mixed Farming has gone from the naturally dry plains. The Central Plains Irrigation scheme is now ‘watering-in’ the upper plains nitrate. Alongside the bull cow shit, urine and effluent. Some of this lovely soup is currently soaking down into aquifers. Why would it not? Gravity. There is a subterranean ‘wall-of-contamination’ heading for the lowland swamp. Otherwise known as Christchurch.

Where is the science Grahame?

Nelson already has a Wall-of-Contamination in aquifers under the Waimea Plains. Click here for the media report. Click herefor the science.

Click here for some Canterbury Plains early warning. Click here to be assured that all is (not a pun) well.

Click here to read 2010 The Listener (warning) article concerning the contamination of the Dunsandel drinking water supply.

Footnote: – Chlorine tastes and smells only – because it has been ‘doing-its-job’. Ask any swim pool operator. The chlorine in the pool is always a constant dose. No smell = zero contaminated swimmers. Chlorine smelling pool building = best go home rather than swim with THOSE dirty people.

At the moment in Christchurch – the contamination will be in the reticulation. The Drinking Water Standards NZ state that after any reticulation repair – the recharge water should be disinfected. Is that news to the Christchurch Mayor? The reticulation will be loaded with infected biofilm (slime) – because none of those thousands of reticulation quake repairs were done to DWSNZ standard. All OK for a while. Until the ‘Wall-of Contamination’ arrives – bringing the REAL dangerous critters into the biofilm. Except of course – Christchurch Hospital. Already there!

Pure ChCh water from the bore (for a while) is contaminated with “Rated OK” bacteria in the reticulation. Probably due to reticulation repairs completed – without meeting the DWSNZ Guidelines.

What follows is the quaint, October 2017, oxymoron example of the Ministry of Health – the chosen administrator of the DWSNZ – having infected water within a certain Christchurch Ministry of Health Critical Care Unit. Bottled water the response!!! Maybe Iain Rabbitts had this incriminating (click here) disaster in mind…..Within the article there is AN ADMISSION that Christchurch water in contaminated – with friendly critters. This probably comes from the reticulation biofilm. Biofilm within the Christchurch reticulation due to repairs with zero reference to the DWSNZ and its Guidelines. That biofilm would best be TOTALLY removed using chlorine dioxide. Who said? I did.